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This is a recurring theme – technology is not always the problem that causes us frustration, sometimes we do it to ourselves.

Ask yourself this question:  How many different systems have the same password?

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Hacking attacks against companies are growing bigger and bolder—witness a string of high-profile breaches this year at Sony Corp., Citigroup Inc. and others. But gone are the days when hackers would simply find holes in corporate networks to steal valuable data. Large companies have grown wise to the threat of hacking, and have spent the past 30 years hardening the perimeters of their networks with upgraded technology.

These days, criminals aren’t just hacking networks. They’re hacking us, the employees.

“The security gap is end users,” says Kevin Mandia, chief executive of security firm Mandiant Corp. The majority of corporate security breaches his firm is currently investigating involve hackers who gained access to company networks by exploiting well-intentioned employees.

Click here to read the rest of the article – What’s a Company’s Biggest Security Risk? You. by Geoffrey A. Fowler

Over the summer, Netflix customers were informed via email that prices would be raised and the streaming services would be separated from the by-mail DVD service. This caused an uproar on the Netflix blog and also caused stock to drop for the third quarter.

Netflix has done it again, announcing that their DVD service would now be named Qwikster, complete with separate billing charges and separate queues. Somehow they think that the same red envelope will be enough to calm people down but that’s unlikely.

Even though the service is still very reasonable and a lot cheaper than cable, here are 5 Alternatives to Netflix/Qwikster that you and your family might be interested in. While Blockbuster isn’t the powerhouse it used to be, I have a feeling RedBox is seeing quite an increase in business these days…

Windows Vista products will reach their End of Life (EOL) on October 22, 2011. After this date, Now IT Works will no longer distribute systems with Vista.  If you require Vista after 10/21/2011, please contact your Now IT Works account manager to discuss your options.

To view the Microsoft Windows Life-cycle Fact Sheet, click here.

If your computer gets the infamous “Blue Screen of Death”, does the frowny face make you feel any better about it? Introducing the new Windows 8 Blue Screen error – now you know it’s really bad.

(Source: Geekologie)

• Microsoft says Windows 8 “boots super fast” (MSNBC)

• Wired Giveaway – Win an iTunes download of the Beatles Greatest Hits (Wired)

• Amazon is considering a Netflix-like book rental service (CNN Tech)

• Mobile apps for back to school – from doing homework to relaxing (PC Mag)

On Aug. 30, the news broke that a hacker calling himself “Comodohacker” made off with a Google authentication certificate on July 19, which allowed him to set up fraudulent Web pages under a legitimate Google domain name and harvest the personal information of anyone who visited his spoofed sites.

Read the rest of the article here from MSNBC – “Cracked Digital Certificates Endanger ‘Web of Trust’”

Scary! So the 3 things that lead to this cyber-disaster were:

(1) easy to guess passwords,

(2) lack of antivirus software and

(3) not being patched to the latest security update.

Who’s been talking about that again? That’s right, Now IT Works.  Talk to your account manager about signing up for a Blue Steel Support Program today!

Did you know that nearly four out of five technology professionals believe employees are putting their companies at risk by failing to act safely online, according to new research. In a study by anti-virus firm Sophos, 79% of the IT workers polled said that in spite of their group’s instructions, many employees continue to open unsolicited e-mail messages and attachments, and to inadvertently download spyware from Web sites.

Be prepared – don’t let disaster strike your business computer network! Contact Now IT Works to learn how to protect your business from employees downloading games or illegal software that could open your network to evil forces from the internet such as viruses or spam.

Ask about PC Crash Protection today!

In one of the biggest stories of the week, the government is trying to step in to block a proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, saying it is a bad move for customers as well as the competition.

“AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low-priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market,” the Justice Department said in its suit.

“The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services,” said Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole. “Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation’s wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition.”

AT&T is vowing to take this matter to court, saying that the merger would create U.S. jobs through call-center employment, if approved.

(Quoted Source: Wired Magazine)

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As New England tries to recover from the effects of Hurricane Irene, we here at Now IT Works would like to take a moment to send our best wishes and condolences to all those who are suffering from this devastating event.

• Did you know your cell phone is more likely to work in a hurricane than an earthquake? (CNN Money)

• Make sure your laptop battery is fully charged! Track Hurricane Irene online here (MSNBC Tech)

• For New England business owners – here are some safety tips for your business (Patch)

For Now IT Works customers, please check your email for the important announcement regarding protecting your business technology this weekend. And to all our readers, please stay safe!

August 23, 1899: The first ship-to-shore signal is sent by Lightship No. 70 to a US receiving station in San Francisco.

‘“Sherman is sighted,” the message said, referring to the troopship Sherman, which was returning a San Francisco regiment from the battlefields of the Spanish-American War. It marked the first use outside England of this technology, still in its infancy.

The name most closely associated with the invention of wireless telegraphy — what we now know simply as radio — is Guglielmo Marconi, but as with so many technologies, there were a number of hands stirring the pot, chief among them Heinrich Hertz, Alexander Popov and Nicola Tesla. Marconi’s claim to primacy was no doubt helped by the fact that he obtained the British patent for wireless in 1896, when Britannia still ruled the waves.

Radio communication at sea quickly evolved into an indispensable safety aid for mariners. By the early 20th century ships were able to communicate with each other as well as with shore-based stations. The Japanese navy used radio communication to scout the Russian fleet during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, a crushing Japanese victory and a turning point in the Russo-Japanese War.

The failure of radio communication played a major role in the Titanic disaster in 1912. The lone radio operator aboard the Californian had switched off his set for the night (as was common aboard vessels carrying a single operator) and never received the Titanic’s distress signals. Had someone been at his post, the Californian — by far the closest ship to the stricken liner — could have arrived soon enough to save many of the lives that were lost.’

Source: Wired Magazine. This article first appeared on Wired.com Aug. 23, 2007.